Machine for constructing and repairing railway tracks

ABSTRACT

A machine for constructing and repairing railway tracks in which a frame carried by bogies is provided at each side thereof with compacting devices for compacting ballast by vibration pressing in a horizontal direction from the tie faces during travel of the machine along the track. Each compacting device is equipped with unbalancers and at least two compacting components mounted in a stepwise manner one after the other at the side facing the track, and with the components having operating surfaces disposed at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the machine.

inventors Mikhail Antonovich Plokhotsky Leningradsky prospekt, l, kv. 37;

Evgeny Romanovich Ivanov, Tritonovskaya ulitsa, 51, korpus 5, kv. 92; Alexandr Nikolaevich Gorbachev, Otkrytoe shosse, 3, korpus 86, kv. 35, all of Moscow, U.S.S.R. Appl. No. 832,339

Filed June 11, 1969 Patented Oct. 5, 1971 MACHINE FOR CONSTRUCTING AND REPAIRING RAILWAY TRACKS [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,973,719 3/1961 Plasser et al. l04/l2 3,120,194 2/ 1964 Plasser et all 104/ l 2 3,380,395 4/1968 Plasser et a]. 104/12 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorney-Holman & Stem ABSTRACT: A machine for constructing and repairing railway tracks in which a frame carried by bogics is provided at each side thereof with compacting devices for compacting ballast by vibration pressing in a horizontal direction from the tie faces during travel of the machine along the track. Each com- 3 Claims 7 Drawing pacting device is equipped with unbalancers and at least two US. Cl 104/12 compacting components mounted in a stepwise manner one Int. Cl E0lb 27/00 after the other at the side facing the track, and with the com- Field of Search l04/l2, 2, ponents having operating surfaces disposed at an acute angle 10, l l 1 relative to the longitudinal axis of the machine.

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PATENTED nm 5 Ian SHEET 3 [1F 4 PATENTED BET 5197! SHEET U 0F 4 b wt MACHINE FOR CONSTRUCTING AND REPAIRING RAILWAY TRACKS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to machines for constructing and repairing railway tracks, and more particularly for correcting the position of railway tracks, compacting the ballast of the prism and final finishing thereof.

Known in the prior art are machines for constructing and repairing railway tracks, in which mounted on the frame resting upon the bogies or wheeledtrucks, is a ballast leveler (batcher), rail brushes, two lifts for correcting the position of a railway track, with the lifts being series arranged one after the other, several pairs of devices for compacting ballast in the space under the ties, ballast prism slope levelers, and a mechanism for sweeping excessive ballast from the track.

In the known machine, the ballast is compacted by vibration pressing in the horizontal direction from the tie butt ends, and which pressing action is performed by means of several devices series arranged one after another on both sides of the machine. Each device for compacting the ballast comprises a casing which houses a mechanically directed action vibrator with unbalances, and reciprocating striking blocks disposed horizontally and actuated by the vibrator shafts. The striking block's are placed in hubs disposed in the vertical sidewall of thecasing facing the track, with such wall being positioned slightly inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the track, and serving as a compacting working surface, and constitutes together with the reciprocating striking blocks a compacting unit of the device.

The intensive vibration of the ballast being compacted in the space under the ties of the railway track by using several devices disposed one after another and having a certain distance therebetween causes a leakage of a considerable amount of the ballast past each compacting device thereby impairing, the quality of the ballast compaction.

Moreover, the employment of several compacting devices series mounted one after another results in an increase of the overall dimensions, weight and cost of the machine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for constructing and repairing railway tracks which eliminates the leakage of ballast from under ties in the course of compaction thereof, thus improving the quality of the ballast compaction in the space under the ties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this object there is provided a machine for constructing and repairing railway tracks, in which mounted on the lateral sides of the frame, resting upon the bogies or wheeled trucks, are devices for compacting the ballast by vibration pressing in the horizontal direction from the tie faces during the travel of the machine.

According to the invention, the casing of each of the compacting devices houses a vibrator provided with an unbalancer and on the casing sidewall facing the track is equipped with at least two compacting components, stepwise mounted one after another, having operating surfaces positioned at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the machine.

It is expedient to have the operating surfaces of the compacting components constituted by detachable shoes which provide for effective compaction of the ballast during different types of track repair irrespective of the ballast prism height.

' It is also expedient for the vibrator unbalances have successively changing masses for providing uniform packing of the ballast in the space under the ties along the track.

The machine according to the present invention possesses much smaller overall dimensions and provides for a high quality of the ballast compaction in the space under the ties of a railway track.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following description of a specific exemplary embodiment of the present invention is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a machine for constructing and repairing railway tracks, according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line II-II of FIG. I with the frame and running bogies not being shown;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line III-Ill of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the distribution of compaction zones in the cross section of the ballast prism;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a ballast-compacting device mounted on said machine and more particularly the unit A of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the device illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIGS. 1, 2, 3 as disclosed in a frame 1 of the machine rests upon two bogies or wheeled trucks 2. The front portion of the frame mounts a ballast leveler or batcher, which levels the ballast unloaded onto a railway track 4 in front of the machine. Disposed on frame 1 following the ballast leveler 3 a rail brushes 5 for sweeping ballast from the rail heads. Fu her, two electromagnetic lifters 6 and 7, successively disposed one after the other are mounted on the frame and serve to correct the position of the track 4 in the longitudinal and lateral (by the level) profiles, and in height (straightening).

It will be noted a device 8 for compacting ballast in a space 9 (FIG. 4) under ties l3 and in tie boxes 10 is mounted on each lateral side of the frame I. The devices 8 are adjacent the electromagnetic lifter 7.

Such an arrangement of the electromagnetic lifter 7 and the compacting device 8 enables the ballast to be compacted at the point of the final correction of the track position thereby eliminating any possibility of the formation of resilient deformations in the rails after straightening thereof.

A shaper 11 for slopes 12 (FIG. 4) is positioned after the compacting device for picking up any ballast caved in by the device 8, deposits it at the end portions of the ties I3 and shapes the slope 12 of the ballast prism. Following the shaper 11 and mounted on the frame are compactors 14 for the slopes l2 and mechanism 15 for sweeping any excessive ballast from the track surface and depositing the same between the rails or onto the slope.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, vertical standards or uprights 16 are secured to the sides of the frame I and turning and lifting brackets 17 are mounted on the standards. Longitudinal bars 18 turnable in a horizontal plane are carried by the brackets 17 and the compacting devices 8 are suspended from the bars by flat springs 19. The brackets 17 serve to bring the compacting devices 8 into the operating position shown in FIG. 3 and into the transporting position.

The compacting device 8 includes, as disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6, a casing 20 housing a mechanical vibrator whose shafts 21, interconnected by toothed wheels 22, carry unbalancers 23. The unbalancers 23 have successively changing masses, with the unbalance disposed in the front portion of the casing 20 having the greatest mass, and that in the rear portion thereof-the smallest mass. This change in the masses provides for a uniform compaction of the ballast in the space 9 under the ties 13. Also, the casing 20 has two compacting components 24 and 25, disposed at the sidewall facing the track.

The compacting components 24 and 25 are disposed in a steplike manner in the horizontal plane, successively one after the other and the operating surfaces thereof are positioned at an acute angle (a 20)relative to the longitudinal axis of the machine. The operating surfaces are defined by detachable shoes 26 (FIG. 7) and the height thereof is dependent upon the type of repair to be accomplished and the height of the ballast prism. 1f desirable or required, the compacting device may be equipped with a greater number of compacting components.

The present machine operatesas follows:

At the place of the repair, all of the operating components are brought from the transportation position into the operating position. The leveler 3 levels the ballast unloaded in front of the machine along the track and mounted on the wing of leveler 3 from the side of the track spacing is detachable plow 27 (FIG. I) which digs a trench in the track spacing, whereby it is easier for the compacting device 8 to travel therealong. The rail brushes 5 sweep any ballast from the rail heads which gets on the heads in the course of operation of the leveler 3.

The electromagnetic lifters 6 and 7 correct the position of the track 4 in space, i.e. in the longitudinal and lateral (by the level) profiles, and in height (straightening). The position of the track 4 completely corrected by the electromagnetic lifter 7 is then stabilized, i.e. volumetric compaction of the prism ballast is performed. In the space 9 under the ties l3 and in the tie box 10 ballast is compacted by the compacting device 8.

When in the operating position, the compacting components 24 has its end portion under the end portions of the ties 13, whereas the compacting component 25 (FIG. 3) is disposed at its rear end portion at the faces of the ties 13.

With the machine in movement, the mechanical vibrator is activated and the driving shaft 21 is rotated by a motor 28 through a cardan shaft 29, and the vibrating compacting components 24 and 25 start gradually pressing the ballast by their operating surfaces in the horizontal plane from the side of the end portions of ties 13, thereby compacting the ballast in the space 9 under the ties and in the tie boxes 10. From the rear end portion of the compacting component 24 excessive ballast enters the space in front of the component, is then conveyed by the detachable shoe 25 under the end portions of the ties 13 to fill up voids left by the component 24, and is thereupon compacted under the end portions of the ties.

The slope shaper 11 mounted after the compacting device 8 picks up at the sides of the track any ballast caved in by the device, deposits it at the faces of the ties l3, and shapes the slope 12. Thereupon, slopes 12 are compacted by the slope compactors l4, and any excessive ballast is removed from the track surface by the mechanism 15 and is deposited in the track spacing or onto the slope.

For the sake of clarity specific narrow terminology has been used in describing this variant of the invention embodiment. The invention is not confined, however, to the terms used, and it should be borne in mind that each such term embraces all equivalent elements, operating in an analogous manner and used for the same purposes.

Though the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred form of its realization, it is clear that various changes and modifications may take place without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which those skilled in the art will readily understand.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for packing ballast railway tracks, comprising: bogies for travel along a track; a frame carried by said bogies; compacting devices mounted at the sides of said frame for compacting ballast by vibration pressing in a horizontal direction from the tie faces during travel of the machine along the tracks; each compacting device including a hollow casing disposed along the axis of the track bed; a plurality of fixed unbalancers within the casing; gear means interconnecting the unbalancers; means operably connected to one of the unbalancers to impart movement to the unbalancers via the gear means; at least two compacting components secured to the lower part of the casing; each component having a substantially flat body positioned in a horizontal plane; each body being of triangular configuration, with the longer side being located closest to the axis of the track, said compact components being arranged in a steplike manner along the casing, a shoe mounted on the longer side of each component, with each shoe bein of greater height than the thickness of the body and each s oe eing disposed at anacute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the machine.

2. The machine as claimed in claim I, in which the shoes are detachably mounted on the longer sides of the bodies.

3. The machine as claimed in claim 1, in which said casing has front and rear portions, the unbalancers provided with successively changing masses, with the unbalancer in the front portion having the greatest mass and the unbalancer in the rear portion the smallest mass. 

1. A machine for packing ballast railway tracks, comprising: bogies for travel along a track; a frame carried by said bogies; compacting devices mounted at the sides of said frame for compacting ballast by vibration pressing in a horizontal direction from the tie faces during travel of the machine along the tracks; each compacting device including a hollow casing disposed along the axis of the track bed; a plurality of fixed unbalancers within the casing; gear means interconnecting the unbalancers; means operably connected to one of the unbalancers to impart movement to the unbalancers via the gear means; at least two compacting components secured to the lower part of the casing; each component having a substantially flat body positioned in a horizontal plane; each body being of triangular configuration, with the longer side being located closest to the axis of the track, said compact components being arranged in a steplike manner along the casing, a shoe mounted on the longer side of each component, with each shoe being of greater height than the thickness of the body and each shoe being disposed at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the machine.
 2. The machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the shoes are detachably mounted on the longer sides of the bodies.
 3. The machine as claimed in claim 1, in which said casing has front and rear portions, the unbalancers provided with successively changing masses, with the unbalancer in the front portion having the greatest mass and the unbalancer in the rear portion the smallest mass. 